stave blank dimension

[Knosaj]

not even sure if i am asking the right questions.

if i run down to clarks hardwoods and get a piece of hickory (or anything else) that is 6'x2"x2"

is that a good place to start from?

I am 5'8" tall

[BOWMAN53]

that would be perfect.  68" long 1 3/4" wide 6" handle 2" fades and 1/2" thickness through the length of the limb.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Grain, grain, grain.....nothing else matters if the grain isn't straight from end to end, or awfully close to it.

[BOWMAN53]

Grain, grain, grain.....nothing else matters if the grain isn't straight from end to end, or awfully close to it.

i knew i was forgetting to mention something lol

[Knosaj]

clarks is supposed to have top grade wood. i guess the grain would be easy to see. i will certainly check it out.

thanks guys

[BOWMAN53]

top grade wood for furniture makers and such usually arent good for bows sense people like swirly grain that looks pretty. look for quarter sawn or rift sawn boards,    lll  and /// 

[bubby]

flat sawn is fine too, look at the grain on all four sides not just the top, bub

[DarkSoul]

a 7'x 2"x 2" will always be either riftsawn OR both quartersawn and flat sawn... Turn it 90 degrees, and quartersawn suddenly becomes flat sawn! The way the wood was sawn is completely irrelevant. You need to look for STRAIGHT GRAIN!
Knosaj, "guess the grain would be easy to see" might not be as simple as you think! The wood might be rough (unsurfaced) still, but most of all, reading the grain is more difficult than you might think. Don't confuse the grain of wood with the growth rings. About one in every 25 boards will be good enough to make a selfbow. If the pile of hickory does not satisfy your need for straight grain on all faces of the board, go the pile of maple, ash, elm, white oak...etc.

[Knosaj]

Good advice. I would have probably grabbed the best hickory not thinking to move to a different species. I'm going in the morning

[mikekeswick]

a 7'x 2"x 2" will always be either riftsawn OR both quartersawn and flat sawn... Turn it 90 degrees, and quartersawn suddenly becomes flat sawn! The way the wood was sawn is completely irrelevant. You need to look for STRAIGHT GRAIN!
Knosaj, "guess the grain would be easy to see" might not be as simple as you think! The wood might be rough (unsurfaced) still, but most of all, reading the grain is more difficult than you might think. Don't confuse the grain of wood with the growth rings. About one in every 25 boards will be good enough to make a selfbow. If the pile of hickory does not satisfy your need for straight grain on all faces of the board, go the pile of maple, ash, elm, white oak...etc.

+1